Dynatech Corporation

Robert K Mitchiner

Joseph A Holroyd

Wayne A Russell

An improved liquid-filming apparatus of the type which utilizes centrifugal action to distribute blood on a specimen-display surface, i.e. on a conventional laboratory slide, and which utilizes a waste-collecting means about the perimeter of the slide display surface. The invention is based on the discovery that the display surface is advantageously related to the surrounding structure in such a way that blood does not disintegrate into minute droplets upon leaving the slide surface and before it can be immobilized in the collecting means. By providing a transitional blood-receiving surface immediately adjacent the supply surface, applicant has avoided the problem of such disintegration.

Blood filming process

A cryosurgical probe has a refrigerant supply conduit for conducting refrigerant to the hollow thermally-conductive probe tip. A refrigerant exhaust conduit extends through the probe into the tip and the end of the exhaust conduit in the tip is positioned a selected distance proximally of the end of the supply conduit. Thus, when refrigerant flows through the supply conduit to the tip, it tends to follow a flow path taking it more or less directly to the exhaust conduit. This creates a dead gas space inside the tip proximally of the end of the exhaust conduit, thereby minimizing direct cooling of portions of the probe adjacent to and proximally of the dead gas space and confining the freeze zone distal to that space. By adjusting the height of the exhaust conduit end proximally of the supply conduit end, the size of the freeze zone at the tip can be controlled. Further, if the probe has a defrost mode, defrost is enhanced because only the working end of the tip need be warmed.

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Boulder, CO, United States of America

Robert K Mitchiner